It’s an election year, which means for at least two months we’re going to be bombarded with carefully-crafted, focus-group-polished messages that are supposed to persuade us to go out and vote. Whether you’re a member of a “hard working family” or the “squeezed middle” – or maybe even a “skiver or a striver” – you’re going to be hit with everything they’ve got.

But if the political parties are trying so hard to get us to care, why do their efforts have the opposite effect? Since 1945, turnout for UK general elections has fallen from a high of 83.9% in 1950 to a low of 59.4% in 2001. Turnout for the 2010 general election was 65.1% – higher than the previous two elections, but still the third lowest since the introduction of universal suffrage. People simply don’t like or trust politicians and that’s down to that most elusive of qualities: authenticity.

The funny thing is that authenticity is as simple as being confident enough to be yourself. Sounds easy, right?

So what stops politicians from being themselves? Fear. What if they don’t like me? What if this or that happens? When you’re fearful, you lack confidence. When you lack confidence, you’re more concerned about offending than inspiring. You find yourself making decisions based on the best worst-case scenario. You end up communicating in vaguely positive soundbites that won’t rock anyone’s world but won’t offend anyone either.

It’s the same for brands. Everybody’s looking for something real and authentic these days. We’ll seek it out and pay extra for it. It’s no coincidence that most confident brands have a strong founder at their heart (Virgin and Apple, for example). People who strike out on their own have uncommon levels of confidence. They are the embodiment of the brand and its values. This makes it easy for people to understand and engage with the brand. People get people – getting brands is trickier. Not every brand can have a figurehead either.

But confidence is still the key. “We want to appear confident, but not arrogant,” is something I often read in client briefs. Understandable; who wants to appear arrogant? But confident people and brands don’t agonise over whether they appear arrogant or not, because they’re confident they’re not arrogant. They are themselves. Some people love them, some people don’t, which is okay. But having an authentic brand that people can believe in starts with liking and being proud of it.

Letting go of fear and not marketing to the lowest common denominator is the start – and yes, it takes courage, trust and confidence in your brand.

We had some pretty incredible launches in 2014, however it’s that time again to be excited about bigger and better things to come. From unbelievable technology to films and fashion wear we have gathered a list of 2015 launches to get excited about!

‘Pay – by – Poker’ Restaurant launch in London
Last weekend in London, game operator PokerStars collaborated with restaurant Jones and Sons for a chance to win your meal. We think this idea is brilliant (if you know how to play!) and either way, even if you lost, your three-course gourmet meal was still at a discounted rate. Brilliant launch event.

Nike Back to the Future Shoes – Sometime 2015
October 21st 2015 – the date that Marty McFly and Doc travelled to in Back To The Future II. The race is on to launch the ‘products of the future’ dreamed up back in 1989. It looks like Nike are winning the race, having announced that they will be launching the most faithful replica Of Marty’s trainers yet – complete with self-tying power laces! https://vine.co/v/OpAQFQY5Wmt

MacBook Air Edge – To –Edge – Keyboard – Mid 2015
This new feature of the 12-inch MacBook Air is the most dramatic aesthetic difference along with the new body being much thinner than its 11 inch predecessor– if that’s possible! Even with all this Apple have still managed to make a slightly larger screen compared to the 11-inch model and combined all charging and USB facilities into one high tech Type-C port. It’s fair to say the new design hasn’t been universally welcomed online with disappointed Apple lovers calling the new MacBook ‘ugly!’

Spectre – 6th November 2015
Spectre, the twenty-fourth James Bond film, is sure to cause excitement across the globe – especially as Sam Smith is rumoured to be singing the official theme song. A guaranteed glossy premier launch.

Beyonce for Topshop – Autumn 2015
One to look out for this year is the new athletic street wear label at Topshop, designed and part-funded by Beyonce herself. Looking to launch in autumn this year this brand is bound to bring her millions of fans to spend thousands in the famous high street store.

LG Flexible TV – 2015
Having teased us at CES in 2014, LG promised to deliver in 2015 with their OLED designs; and they sure have. Their newest television model has the most remarkable picture quality and colour accuracy. What really makes this TV stand out is the ability to curve the screen with a touch of the remote (with a choice of flat also). Even though this will create unbelievable film viewing experiences we are still in suspense anticipating the massive cost to own one and how often you would need to curve a screen!?

Batman: Arkham Knight – 2nd June 2015
One of the most exciting launches this year is the new Batman game. Coming in June, Arkham Knight will be the most realistic Batman to date with the option to use Batman’s Batmobile for the first time ever. With online ratings of 5 stars already this game is set to be huge.

Samsung Galaxy S6 mini – August 2015
Samsung are set to release a mini version of the Galaxy S6. Speculation is mounting around the new specifications, but we are guessing an improved camera and hopefully the same memory as its big brother. In general all the same fun just at a much easier size.

Windows 10
Hopefully to be launched before the end of 2015, Windows 10 is promising to fix a lot of Windows 8 problems. Is this a little too late Windows? Promisingly, the new version is designed to work on all devices (smart phones, laptops, desktops and even XBOX!!).

Tesco Google Glass shopping app – Experimental Stages
In the future we may be able to do our Tesco shopping just by looking in our fridge and cupboards – crazy. Google glasses have been designing with Tesco to be able to scan their products and add to a basket for an online shop just by wearing the frames. We predict teething problems, but if this actually ends up working food shopping will never be the same again!